Unconditionally
by BrandonMichelle
Summary: As Cosette grows up, she begins to learn the meaning of unconditional love. *Inspired by the song "Unconditional" by Katy Perry*. Novel verse based fic. Reviews are nice to see.
1. There is no fear now

**Unconditionally**

_"Unconditional, unconditionally, I will love you unconditionally". _

These were the words Valjean whispered to his new daughter one night. He had only become a father mere weeks ago and he had come to realise Cosette had some deep scars that would take a long time to heal, if ever.

The poor child had been plagued with nightmares from the beginning of their time together, and if she felt like she did something wrong she would become overcome with fear. There was an incident one morning when she sleepily knocked over her milk that Valjean had poured for breakfast and she was suddenly overcome with terror that her new papa was going to hit her that she burst into uncontrollable tears and ran away from the table in fear and shame.

Instead of shouting at her, hitting her, or punishing her though Valjean did something Cosette hadn't expected.

He took her little hand in his and kissed it gently, then looked her in the eyes. "It's alright my dear girl, it was just an accident. Don't be scared, I won't hurt you".

Cosette was quite taken aback by this behaviour, she was so used to being beaten all the time for minor things that it was almost unbelievable to her that someone wasn't going to hurt her.

"Aren't you mad?" she asked her new papa as her tears subsided.

"No my dear, of course not. Come here" He said as he picked her up gently and held her close to him to comfort her. She was still so tiny and light that she felt like a feather in his arms.

"There now, don't be afraid anymore Cosette. Nobody's going to hurt you". He whispered to her.

Cosette believed him, but it was going to take a lot more love and patience to completely rid her of her fears, which was why a few nights later Cosette found herself needing to be comforted by her papa again.

She was curled up next to him in his bed after he had brought her over to sleep there, she had woken up from a terrible nightmare and Valjean knew she needed a lot of love and comfort tonight. He wrapped his arms around the little girl and held her, just simply held her until she felt safe again.

He whispered to her as well, the sweet comforting words she needed to hear to know that she would always be safe and loved with her new father. "Sssh now sweetheart, everything's alright. There's nothing to fear now. Papas here and he loves you. He'll always love you".

He made a vow to himself that night, a vow that he would love this little girl unconditionally for the rest of his life. There was nothing she could do, nothing bad, nothing wrong and nothing about her past that would make him stop loving her. He was a father now and that was the job of a father to do.

He pulled her in even closer than she was, and whispered to her some words that she didn't fully understand yet, but she knew what he was saying was very very good.

_"Unconditional, unconditionally, I will love you unconditionally. There is no fear now, let go and just be free, because I will love you unconditionally"._

The words made her feel safe at last, and Cosette had no more troubles with nightmares at all that night.


	2. Let go and just be free

When Valjean brought Cosette to the convent he worried about her a lot in the beginning. He worried that she would be scared without him, that she would regress into the frightened little creature she had been when he first found her, but to his delight he found that she flourished in there. Of course it was hard for her at first to be separated from him, but the nuns allowed her to see her father every day and that made the new environment a lot easier on her, and also on him, because he still got to be with his little girl.

When she turned nine she had already become a lovely little girl and Valjean was exceptionally proud of the progress she was making with her education. After just a year there she had come on leaps and bounds with her reading and writing and the nuns were turning her into a proper young lady as well. Valjean was a little dismayed at first when she stopped running up to him every day in excitement to see him, instead she just walked calmly now, but he was also happy that she was learning her manners too.

He still picked her up in his arms though every day when she came to him and Cosette still loved it. It just wouldn't have been the same if he hadn't swooped her up and kissed her face all over when she came to him. That time he got to spend with his daughter each day was so precious to him, for he loved that little girl so much.

There was only one time during their entire time in the convent when Cosette wasn't allowed to see her father, and he missed her terribly that day. Valjean had been summoned to the mother superior to let him know Cosette was being punished for fighting with another girl and would not be allowed to see him today. Valjean was heartbroken that he wouldn't be able to see her, but also curious as to why Cosette had been in trouble, she was normally such a good little girl, he just couldn't imagine her fighting with anyone.

The next day though she came to visit him at the usual time and Valjean was so glad to see her again, it had only been a day without her but it felt like a year. Valjean picked her up that day and held her she didn't seem her usual self, she felt tense to him, still he kissed her face and held her tight to him for a few minutes.

"You're getting so big Cosette" he said putting her down again with a happy sigh, "I missed you yesterday my dear".

At this point he noticed she wasn't looking at him, but rather looking down at the floor sadly.

"What's the matter?" he asked her with concern

"Are you angry at me?" She said fearfully

"What? Of course not sweet girl. I could never be angry at you. Did you think I would be?" He asked her

Cosette simply nodded and Valjean took her and led her over to one of the armchairs he had in his simple shack.

"Come here sweetheart" he said lifting her onto his lap "You're going to be too big for this soon" he added, noticing once again how much she seemed to have grown before he continued. "I would never be angry at you for anything. You're my child and I love you, completely and unconditionally. Do you know what that means?"

"I think so" Cosette said thoughtfully, although truthfully she hadn't completely grasped the concept of unconditional love yet.

"Good, now why on earth were you fighting? What got into you? That's not the Cosette I know". He said patting her hands gently

Cosette then told her papa what had happened the previous day. How one of the older girls she boarded with had been teasing her because she was a charity pupil, and she had made fun of the fact her father was just a gardener and Cosette had gotten angry and pushed the other girl over. They only had a brief scuffle before the nuns had intervened but it had been enough for Cosette to be punished.

As Valjean listened to her story he had never felt more proud of her, she had stood up for herself and not let herself or her father be made fun of. Yes she had gone about it the wrong way, but Valjean didn't have it in his heart to scold her because of it. His love for her was unconditional and he knew even if she got into trouble again, or fought with another girl he would still love that child with all his heart.


	3. I'll do it all because I love you

Cosette felt like she had been pacing nervously all day, she didn't know where her father was and worse she had no idea if Marius knew where she had moved too. Also she was worried about the fighting in the streets she had heard about, what if her dear Marius was involved in it, he'd surely be killed. She didn't know who to be more afraid for, her father or that dear boy who had stolen her heart.

By the time evening came around again she had started to become fearful that her father was never going to return at all, when suddenly she heard the door to their apartment open hurriedly.

Cosette raced into the hallway to be encountered with a shape she couldn't determine was human or not, it was covered in god knows what and the smell was so horrendous she clutched her hands to her face.

"Papa?" she said meekly, recognising the exhausted expression on the face of whomever or whatever was in her house right now.

The figure looked at her but then looked away again unable to look at her, but also because he didn't want her to see him like this.

"Papa what's happened to you" she said frantically, moving closer to him, although the smell was so bad she really didn't want to get too close. "Where have you been all day? I've been so scared….."

"Not now please Cosette" Valjean said breathlessly, "Just let me alone for a while. Everything's going to be fine I promise" And with that he simply walked past her and locked himself in his room to get out of the filthy clothes he had been in.

Later that evening Cosette was waiting nervously in the parlour for her father, she was dying inside with worry over her Marius, but she couldn't speak to her father about him, he would be heartbroken if he knew his daughter had been seeing a boy behind his back, and even after all their years together she still couldn't bear to know she had disappointed him. But still….she couldn't bear to live without Marius either.

When her father finally entered the room she stood up anxiously, he looked at her for a moment with a strange expression, one she hadn't seen before; he looked almost disappointed in her. He walked over to the fire before Cosette could stand it no longer and she spoke.

"Please papa, tell me what happened to you, where have you been all day?" She said nervously

Valjean inhaled deeply before he began, "There was fighting in the streets Cosette, I was there. People were killed, men, children. I got away though, barely".

Cosette gasped to hear that people had been killed, her eyes filled with tears as her mind was filled with images of her beloved being shot and bleeding in the streets. She clutched her hands to her face again which did not go unnoticed by her father, he knew exactly who she was thinking about at this moment.

"I know about the boy you've been seeing Cosette, I know everything" he said sadly "This Marius…..he was there".

Cosette walked slowly backwards to a chair, looking like she was going to faint. She just knew her father was going to tell her Marius was dead.

Thankfully Valjean finally put her out of her misery, "He was wounded Cosette, but he's alive".

Cosette breathed out in relief and a few tears escaped as she collapsed down into a chair, burying her face into her hands as she cried even more. Marius was alive, that was good. But he was hurt, perhaps even terribly and she couldn't bear to think of him suffering.

Valjean also couldn't bear to see his daughter suffering. Although he was disappointed in her, heartbroken even that she had been lying to him, seeing this boy behind his back and possibly acting immorally he just couldn't be angry at her. He made a promise years ago to love her unconditionally.

_"I'll take your bad days with the good, walk through the storm I would. And do it all because I love you".  
_He thought those words to himself, he had spoken them years ago when she was a child and he still meant them.

He went to her and kneeled down in front of her, taking one of her hands in his. He put his other hand on her cheek and made her look at him. Her face was tear stained and she looked so terribly sad. Valjean had never wanted to see her sad ever again, she'd had enough of tears when she was a child to last a lifetime.

"You love him don't you?" he said

"Yes" she nodded tearfully, "I do papa. I'm sorry I kept it from you; please don't be angry with me. Please don't hate me; I swear we never did anything immoral".

Valjean believed her when she said that, although he was unsure whether or not she really knew what immoral behaviour with a boy was, he was sure that she wouldn't lie to him about something like that.

"I don't hate you my child, I could never hate you" Valjean told her, which took a huge weight off Cosettes mind. "I just wish you could have told me about him".

"I'm sorry" Cosette said once again

"It's alright" Valjean said "Come here" He brought her in close and held her tight and she cried against his shoulder even more.

"He'll live Cosette, he'll need a lot of time to heal but he's going to live" Valjean told her

Cosette wiped her face but kept holding tight to her father as she summoned up the courage to say what she wanted to say next.

"I want to marry him Papa". Cosette said, with her face still buried into her fathers shoulder.

Valjean sighed deeply, he knew that was coming yet he still wasn't prepared for it when she said it.

He broke away from her and looked into her eyes, his heart was breaking over the fact that he was losing his daughter to another man, but he was also feeling old and tired and he knew he needed to give his daughter to someone who would love and care for her as he did before he was gone forever.

"Does he make you happy Cosette?" he asked her, even though he already knew the answer to that.

"Yes papa, he does" she said sincerely

"Then I promise when he's healed you can see him again, and you'll have my consent to marry". He told her, and he meant it even though his heart was breaking to know he was losing her.


	4. I'll take your bad days with your good

Cosette had loved her father with all her heart, but it was not until she was fully grown and had become a wife and mother that she really began to realise what unconditional love was, and what her father had meant by it all those years ago.

When her children were babies Cosette would sing them to sleep with her beautiful soft voice. She would hold them close to her chest, right over her heart and sing those same words her father had said to her all those years ago when she was a child.

_"Unconditional, unconditionally, I will love you unconditionally"._

She and Marius had six children altogether, three boys and three girls as luck would have it and Cosette loved them with all her heart. My God though they could be trying! And that was putting it politely. All of them were adorable, lovely, playful and curious, but they could also be mischievous, noisy and overwhelming at the same time.

None more so than her middle child, her son Courfeyrac. That fair haired little lad whom they named after Marius's best friend could be such a lovely boy when he wanted to be, but he could also be the most boisterous little terror as well.

Whenever he teased his sisters, pulled one of their plaits, stole a doll from them to make them cry or fought too harshly with his brothers he would teach Cosette exactly the meaning of unconditional love. Despite how naughty he was sometimes, and how he could test her patience to the maximum, Cosette knew she would love that boy forever, just like her father had loved her.

There was one particular incident when he was seven where he pushed his parents almost to the edge with his behaviour. He got into a fight with his brother Jean over a silly childish game and then he dared to back talk his father when he tried to make him apologise.

"Your brother wasn't cheating" Marius had said to him that day, "Now stop making a fuss and settle down".

"No!" the young boy had shouted at his father, stamping his feet in defiance. Courfeyrac was a born rebel just like his namesake, and had little fear sometimes; unfortunately not even Cosette could save him from a thrashing that day.  
She didn't approve of beating children under any circumstances but she also didn't approve of her son acting like a brat so she sided with Marius and was silent as Courfeyrac received his beating. He only got three strokes of the cane, but Cosette felt terrible as she watched him get sent to his room afterwards.

Later on that evening before the childrens bedtime Cosette went to check on Courfeyrac. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him being all alone in his room when the rest of the family were enjoying themselves together after dinner; also she wanted him to know she wasn't angry at him.

Well, she was a little cross with him for misbehaving, but she didn't hate the boy. She could never hate him, he was her little boy and always would be and she loved him unconditionally.

"Courfeyrac?" she said quietly as she entered his room. He was sitting on his bed reading one of his favourite adventure books; he looked up briefly to scowl at her before turning back to his book.

"Now now, don't give me that look" she said sternly to him as she walked over to him and sat down at the edge of his bed.

"Sorry maman" Courfeyrac said quietly, still looking down at this book.

"Good boy" Cosette said to him. "Now….I'm not here to tell you that your father was wrong to punish you, or that you weren't behaving horribly, I just wanted to make sure you're alright".

Courfeyrac didn't look up at her, or say anything; he just turned the page of his book and continued reading, so Cosette reached out to take his hand.

"Sweetheart, don't be cross with me" Cosette said gently.

Courfeyrac snatched his hand back, annoyed that she was trying to be nice to him. He snapped his book shut and sat back against his headboard.

"Why did you let papa cane me?" he asked angrily and with a hint of sadness too

Cosette looked at him sadly, she wasn't going to apologise for standing by her husband, but she did feel awfully sorry for her son right now.

"You know perfectly well why, you can't behave like that and expect to get away with it". She told him straightforwardly.

Courfeyrac looked sadly away from his mother and folded his arms across his chest. A few tears escaped from his eyes as he spoke his next words.

"Does papa hate me?" He asked quietly, fearing her answer.

"What?" Cosette asked incredulously. "Don't be so silly, your father loves you. And I love you too; even when you misbehave. We'll never stop loving you, I promise".

Cosette moved a little closer to her son and put her hand under his chin to make him look at her again.

"Just be the little gentleman I know is inside you a bit more often" She said with a smile, and Courfeyrac couldn't help smile back at her.

"Yes maman" he said, and smiled again and Cosette kissed his forehead gently and brought him in close for a cuddle.

Courfeyrac put his arms around her and let her hold him, she ran her fingers through his soft hair gently and just enjoyed the feeling of his warmth next to her skin; it was just like when he was a baby. To Cosette it felt like he would always be her baby, no matter how badly he behaved he would always be hers to love.

"Please don't ever think that your father or I don't love you" She said after a moment of silence between them. "I could never stop loving you, even when you behave like a terror I still love you. My love is unconditional".

She paused for a moment, realising that might be a very complicated word for a seven year old.

"Do you understand what that means?" she asked, looking down at him

"Not really" Courfeyrac said

"Don't worry, you will one day" Cosette said with a faint smile. And as she sat there with her son that evening she sang softly to him those words that her father had told her all those years ago.

_ "Unconditional, unconditionally, I will love you unconditionally. There is no fear now, let go and just be free, because I will love you unconditionally"._

**The End**


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